We introduce an innovative method to distinguish soil nitrogen oxides (NOx=NO+NO2) emissions from satellite-based total NOx emissions using its seasonal characteristics. To evaluate the approach, we compare the deviation between the tropospheric NO2 concentration observed by satellite and two atmospheric composition model simulations driven by the newly estimated soil NOx emissions and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) inventory. The estimated average soil NOx emissions in Europe are 2.5 kg N ha-1 yr-1 in 2019, and the annual soil NOx emissions is approximately 2.5 times larger than that of the CAMS inventory. Our method can easily be extended to other regions at middle or high latitudes with similar seasonal characteristics of soil emissions. The soil emissions are subtracted from the total NOx emissions yielding realistic anthropogenic NOx emissions. We further show this also yields realistic anthropogenic CO2 emissions using known CO2/NOx factors from bottom-up inventories.

A reanalysis dataset produced by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring service (CAMS reanalysis, 2003 - present day) augmented by ERA5 data for the years before 2003 is used to describe the evolution of the 2020 Arctic ozone season and to compare it with years back to 1979. Ozone columns over large parts of the Arctic reached record low values in March and April 2020 because of an exceptionally cold and persistent Arctic polar vortex. Minimum ozone columns were below 250 DU for most of March and the first half of April, with the lowest values of 211 DU in the CAMS reanalysis found on 18 March. Such low values are extremely unusual for the Arctic. The previous years with similarly strong Arctic ozone depletion were 2011 and 1997 with minimum values of 232 DU and 217 DU, respectively. The performance of the CAMS ozone analysis is assessed by comparison with ozone sonde data. We find a clear sign of chemical ozone destruction with ozone severely depleted in a layer between 80-50 hPa in late March and early April when partial pressure values below 2 mPa were observed. Profiles from the limb sounders ACE-FTS and MLS show clear signs of chlorine activation and the presence of polar stratospheric clouds. Monthly mean ozone columns in March 2020 were up to 180 DU or 40% lower than the CAMS climatology (2003-2019) while values for 2011 and 1997 were lower by 31% and 35% respectively.